Naked and Defiant (16 page)

"Shut up, Brockton!" Mr. Woods hissed.
"Please pay no attention to Mr. Brockton; he is distressed and not
thinking clearly."

"It appears that 'not thinking' is somewhat
of a habit for him. I have heard enough," the judge said, sternly.
"Mr. Brockton, I am warning you that you ever try to use my
courtroom again as a means of settling a personal vendetta, I will
find you in contempt. It would be wise to exit these chambers
pleasantly and calmly and not provoke Mr. Badger to say anything
regarding this little discussion to the press. We do not want your
daughter to have to endure any more public humiliation than
necessary, now, do we? Mr. Badger? Do you agree?" the judge raised
his thick, bushy eyebrow as he leaned forward with his elbows on
the desk.

"If Mr. Brockton releases the hold upon his
daughter and allows her to pursue her own life, and if he does not
make any farther attempt to either use her, me, or my company and
affiliates against one another in an attempt to manipulate, I have
no reason to say a word to anybody, Your Honor."

"Well, Mr. Brockton?" the old judge asked.
"What do you say?"

"I want him to stay away from her!" Brockton
growled, angrily." He is poison."

"I'm not the one who has poisoned her,
Brockton!" Griffon bared his teeth. "You have!"

"My client accepts the agreement, Your Honor.
Thank you, Mr. Badger," Mr. Woods interrupted.

"He is going to destroy me and use her to do
it!" Mr. Brockton protested.

"I am sure Mr. Badger will not do anything of
the sort. There is no reason for him to have any contact with Miss
Brockton when the trial is over, especially since they were nothing
more than casual friends. Isn't this true, Mr. Badger?" Mr. Woods
said, slyly. "Will you please reassure this girl's father that you
have not had any romantic interest in Jade? I do believe that it is
a favorable thing for the girl that you were without a personal
agenda. It would definitely make Jade look, well … I don't need to
say how her already questionable public image would be affected if
she were to allow herself to be taken up as your mistress."

"She and I have not had any intimate
interaction. We are not interested in each other like that,"
Griffon narrowed his eyes.
What was this guy up to?

"See, Mr. Brockton? You have nothing to worry
about. Let's get you out of here before you end up in jail," Mr.
Woods whispered loudly, pulling his client to his feet. Griffon
rose as well and stiffly extended his hand to his nemesis.

"Fuck yourself, Badger," the man snarled,
storming out of the room.

"What was that about?" Griffon asked,
following them with his eyes.

The judge shook his head again. "I have no
idea. I do agree, though, that it was a good idea not to have
gotten yourself involved with the girl. The media is ruthless and
would have chewed her up, especially with her reputation as being a
little loose. You gave her a chance to change her image."

"I suppose," Griffon said quietly, staring at
the closed door.

"Off the record, Mr. Badger, I wish to
commend you for a job well done."

"What do you mean, sir?" Griffon asked,
glancing at Tasha. She shrugged.

"I know how that child used to behave.
Everyone did, all over the world, thanks to a hungry social media
that thrives on gossip. Whatever you did to change her attitude in
one month's time was nothing short of a miracle. You gave her a
chance to forge a happier life for herself by encouraging her to
find her own values and purpose."

What I did was to give her a couple of
good, old-fashioned, over the knee, bare-bottom spankings!
"Truthfully, it was all about survival. It wasn't anything that
anyone else would not have done if they were in the same situation,
but I thank you," Griffon dipped his head respectfully.

"Let's get back into the courtroom and
conclude this trial. Miss Hart?"

"Yes, Your Honor?"

"It was a delight seeing you again. I think
the last time you presented to my court was when you were
representing Mr. Badger in a harassment suit. As I recall, you
practiced the same tactics, didn't you? I caution you, though, that
the next time you come armed with documentation that has been
illegally obtained, you are to offer to hand it over to a
prosecutor for review. It makes you look more formidable to the
defense by keeping the contents a secret."

"Honestly," Tasha grinned, "I was just
prepared to shove it up Woods' backside and use it to purge him of
stupidity. Just like I did to that jerk who was trying to blackmail
Griffon for a million bucks. It worked, didn't it?"

"It certainly did. I would hate to be your
opponent in a fight, young lady," the judge grinned
affectionately.

With Simone found guilty on all accounts and
sentenced to a hefty stint in jail and Mr. Brockton led by police
escort from the building, court was dismissed. The judge offered
Jade praise for her strength to follow through with the trial and
wished her the best of luck with her future endeavors. He also
added a word of caution to be careful of her actions until the fuss
died down and the paparazzi lost interest. Jade glanced over at
Griffon and then back to the judge. She nodded her understanding
without another word, clutching the jade sculpture tightly with the
word 'promise' pressed hard into her palm.

Tasha gathered her files into her briefcase
and snapped it shut. "I think we managed to reach our goal today,
Griffon. I don't think Brockton will mess with anyone for a long
time. I wanted to tell you …"

"I have something to do. I'll be right back,"
Griffon interrupted her, his view on the back of the young woman
dressed in a custom-made khaki suit with high Italian boots who
swiftly left the room on the arm of the attorney. He pressed past
the horde of reporters, ignoring questions thrown at him while he
scurried after her. Looking over the heads of those in the long
hallway, he searched for the long, pale blond ponytail. Jade had
disappeared without so much as a goodbye.

Griffon turned to the feel of Tasha's hand on
his arm. "The judge was right. We need to let this simmer down, for
her sake. Brockton's attorney made sure that your word would be
tested, and if you go after her now, he will try to cause problems.
Give it some time."

"How long? I don't want to lose her."

"However long it takes. Come. Let's go home.
We have a very long trip back home to the States."

"I want to take a detour. Have you ever been
to New Zealand?"

"Why are you
holding my arm so tightly? I want to say good bye to Griffon!" Jade
growled, as Mr. Woods pulled her roughly down the hallway and
outside to the parking lot.

"Hurry and get in. You don't need those
reporters breathing down your neck," the attorney hissed, pushing
her into his car. "Your father was almost found in contempt of
court for keeping you under house arrest. Is any of this true?"

"Every bit of what I said is true. What
happened in the judge's chambers?"

The attorney recalled the event to her in a
stoic manner. Jade sat, stunned. "Are you telling me that Griffon
agreed to never speak to me again if my father gave me back my
freedom? Why would he say such a thing?" she finally choked
out.

"He made it very clear that he only cared
about your survival as a means for publicity, Miss Brockton," the
man lied." He saw it as a way to get even with your father. He was
willing to have himself look like a martyr for the press and throw
himself on a sword for you."

"A martyr? How? My father is the one who went
after Griffon's throat, and he used me in the process. I don't
believe this."

"Believe it. Here." He handed her his cell
phone. "Call your boyfriend and let him tell you for himself."

Jade stared at the phone as she fought back
her tears. She could not handle hearing Griffon reject her again.
She cleared her throat, "Griffon Badger is not my boyfriend. It
does not matter anyway. I am not going to be anyone's puppet again.
What are my father's plans now?"

"He did not realize how important school was
to you, and feels very badly about it. He wishes to be as
supportive as possible. My suggestion is to go ahead and enroll in
the University. I understand there are some very solid programs in
some areas you might be interested in, given your recent
adventure," the attorney said, slyly. "I am certain your father, as
a means of seeking forgiveness, will provide you whatever you want
to be happy. He was desperately afraid for you, child. You are his
little girl. He would never want any harm to come to you, and he
regrets how badly he handled the whole situation."

"What's his angle?" Jade asked, suspiciously.
"My father has no regrets over anything he does, and I want nothing
that is his. I do not need his wealth to survive or be happy; I
just require my freedom."

"People make mistakes, Jade. They should all
be allowed a second chance to make things right. You had another
chance to discover yourself with Mr. Badger's instruction. Granted,
it was a harsh lesson, but that island forced you to open your eyes
as to how wasteful a life you lead. Allow your father to learn
through a harsh lesson as well. He loves you."

Jade paused. "Griffon really wasn't
interested in seeing me? Look at me in the eye and tell me that he
did not even want to talk to me again," she commanded.

Mr. Woods steadily locked eyes with her. "He
said that the subject would never be raised again as long as your
father granted you freedom. He was concerned for you, but that is
all. I am sorry." Mr. Woods patted her hand. "I know you had
feelings for him."

"No, I did not," Jade said bitterly, looking
out the window. She squinted at the blaring sunlight that filtered
through the glass. "We became friends out of necessity. I thought I
had feelings for him at one point, but he told me that they were
not real. He said they were born out of fear and helplessness, and
were merely reflections of a frightened child. He was right all
along. I also grew up. I'm not that child anymore."

"You certainly are not," Mr. Woods said, with
satisfaction. "I am sure your father will be pleased to hear that
you have come to your senses about this issue with Mr. Badger. He
was extremely worried that the man had molested you, but was afraid
to say anything, due to your sensitivity."

"I assure you," Jade's tone was toxic, "there
was no sexual intimacy whatsoever. He made it very clear to me that
he was not interested. He's a handsome, strong man, Mr. Woods;
don't think I didn't make a fool out of myself by trying."

Jade said very little to anyone when she
arrived home. She roamed upstairs to her room and slowly peeled off
her attire. She stood before the mirror and viewed herself
skeptically. Griffon always said that she was at her strongest when
she was naked. She never understood that, at least not until now.
With nothing to shield her, her only strength came from inside.
Pushing her pain aside, she quickly donned the shorts and T-shirt
that she kept hidden under her bed and slung a large canvas bag
filled with survival items across her shoulders. Barefoot, she
padded downstairs and stood face to face with her father.
Wordlessly, she lifted her chin, grabbed the keys to the Mercedes,
and exited the front door. Several reporters had stationed
themselves outside the gates and surrounded the vehicle as she
slowly drove out, shouting questions and taking photographs.

She rolled down the window. "I am going
Walkabout, so unless any of you are prepared to rough it, I suggest
you don't try to follow me. The crocs are hungry this time of year
and I intend to be crossing their paths."

Silence followed her announcement, and they
stepped back to make a way for her exit. No one tried to keep her
from leaving.

Jade drove the vehicle northward. Her hands
trembled as she continually looked in the rear view mirror to see
if she was being followed and was both disturbed and relieved to
see no one behind her. She hummed a Song-Line to herself, one that
was taught to her by the old bushmaster of the Kuku Yalanji tribe.
The words gave her directions to the tiny village nestled in the
rainforest of the northern Queensland territory where she hoped to
find some answers to help ease her heart. She pulled into a
heavily-foliaged grove off a seldom-used dirt road and parked
besides an ancient tree holding illegible carvings on its trunk.
Three dirt paths extended from that point.

"The path you choose, little Jade, is the
path of your life. Choose well,"
the old aborigine used to say.
Jade studied the three narrow passages, swung her bag of supplies
over her shoulders, and stepped upon the path she had selected.

"You have chosen your path wisely, little
rabbit," a man's voice said from behind her, after she had walked
for over an hour.

"Matat! It is good to see you!" Jade
exclaimed, swinging her arms around the tiny, frail, gray-haired
tribesman. "I was wondering if I would ever see you again!"

"The earth is not taken me up yet. My young
friend, your spirit drips of sorrow, like a dying vine." The
ancient man touched her chin. "What is causing you so much
pain?"

"Do you remember when you told me that one
day I would need answers than only would come from the
spirits?"

"I remember well," the tiny man sighed. "What
answers do you seek?"

"A lot has happened to me during these last
six months. I know longer am the same person I used to be, yet I
don't know how to be anyone else. I need someone to talk to, and
the only one I could trust is you. Matat? What did you see in me
that day that you gave me the bow?"

"I saw a frightened rabbit in need of
fighting back. The bow," he spread his arms to the sky, "is an
extension of your courage. It allows you the means to defeat an
enemy by using wisdom."